Each year, Allied Arts Foundation awards a total of $15,000 in grant funding to PNW-based* artists. The 2025 awards focused on innovation in Digital Arts, with awards ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, based on merit. (* Artists must reside in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska or Montana.)

The total award amount was divided into eight grants:
·       One $5,000 award
·       Two $2,500 awards
·       Five $1,000 awards, with at least two to emerging artists

ARTWORK FUNDED

The 2025 awards focused on Digital Arts – art that uses digital technology in its creation, presentation, and/or experience. This broad category included (but was not limited to) digital drawings, paintings, sculptures, illustrations, photos, videos, animation, audio, websites/web pages, and immersive experiences. Artificial Intelligence (AI) incorporated into the production of digital artwork was allowed as long as a significant human element is evidenced in the creation of this artwork.  Finalists utilizing AI will be required to show the steps involved in their artwork production.

ELIGIBILITY

Applicants must reside in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Alaska or Montana. Students enrolled in a degree program directly related to the discipline or whose degrees are pending at the time of application are ineligible to apply. Undergraduate students and high school students are ineligible to apply. Applicants residing outside of the US states of WA, OR, ID, AK, or MT will be disqualified.

CATEGORIES

·       Emerging Artists (at least two and up to five $1,000 awards): Works will be judged on emerging artist criteria such as concept, style, finesse, aesthetic interest, and others.
·       Professional Artists ($1,000 to $5,000 awards): Works will be judged on professional artist criteria such as excellence of execution, originality, emotional resonance, artistic impact, and others.

AAF intentionally leaves the terms “emerging” and “professional” undefined. Please apply under the category that you feel fits best.

APPLICATION

To apply, artists must fill out the short Application Form at alliedartsfoundation.org, and include their name, email, and link to their submission portfolio, and pay a $20 application fee via Stripe. Additional information such as Artist Resume or explanatory information regarding the artwork may be sent to artistgrants@alliedartsfoundation.org, but is not required.

Application deadline was 11:59PM Monday, June 2, 2025.

YOUR PORTFOLIO

Your online portfolio should contain either direct links to the artworks, or the actual artworks themselves. Jury members will spend no more than five minutes per artist on their initial review of submissions. Portfolios may take the form of an online file folder (OneDrive, Google Drive, Dropbox, etc), website link, webpage link, social media platform link, or other easy access digital links. Artworks must be accessible without the creation of a paid account or an invitation-only account.  

MERIT BASED AWARD

These awards will be based on artist portfolios. You do not have to submit a project, budget, or needs statement. Awarded funds are unrestricted and may be used at the artist’s discretion.

AWARD TIMELINE

·       Deadline for submissions: June 2, 2025
·       Selection committee review: June – July 2025
·       Award announcements: August 2025
·       Artist Contracts: August 2025
·       Award Payments: September 2025

QUESTIONS / CONTACT

Email us at artistgrants@alliedartsfoundation.org. 

ABOUT THE DIGITAL ARTIST AWARDS: OUR CONCEPT & VISION

Digital art is a simple term for a big topic. It spans everything from iPhone sketches to electronic paintings, digital photographs, 8-bit throwbacks and mind-blowing CGI. Many acclaimed artists have decided to create and exhibit their work digitally, while budding creatives need only look to their smartphones to get started.  Allied Arts is pleased to announce for its next Artist Award the focus is Digital Art.

Digital art is a form of art that uses digital technology in the creative process and can include a wide range of mediums and techniques.  Digital art can include digital drawings, paintings, illustrations, photos, videos, animation, audio and sculptures. It can also be computer generated, scanned, or interactive. Digital artists can use a variety of hardware and software, including drawing tablets, stylus pens, and computer software like Adobe Photoshop, Krita, Corel Painter, Clip Studio Paint, and Procreate.  AI assisted artwork is welcome. This is the tip of the iceberg for Digital Art creation. 

One of the main characteristics of digital art is the interaction with the viewer. Their installations often allow the creation of immersive experiences that allow users to actively participate in the work. Thanks to the internet and digital platforms, users can share and distribute their artistic pieces to a global audience. This feature has democratized access to art, making it possible for the artistic community to discover and appreciate digital works.

Innovation is one of the main characteristics of digital art. The growing technological evolution and the emergence of new tools for creating offer artists a wide variety of techniques to explore new areas. Advanced editing programs, 3D modeling and augmented reality tools are just some of the technologies that are driving digital art. 

All artwork submitted for this Award is property of the Artist and will not be sold for training data. This Artwork will not be used in any other publication or medium without the Artist’s permission.

THANK YOU TO OUR SUPPORTERS!

The 2025 Artist Awards in Digital Art are supported by Piroshky Piroshky and C.Y. Lee.